Casing clamp



May c. A. BUTLER I CASING CLAMP Filed March 15, 1928 lawe'refi rz C/zarZea efiBuiZer,

Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED stares m suse- PATENT" j OFFICE 4 CHARLES A. BUTLER, OF OKMULGEE OKLAHOM'A.

CASING CLAMP,

Application filed March 15, 1928. Serial No.- 262,011.

1 This invention relates ,to improvements in casing clamps, and more particularly concerns a construction of such devices whereby they may be made light and strong.

In well drilling work, a casing clamp is an instrument to be located around a length of casing, usually just beneath a coupling, to hold the casing in a given position with respect to the ground, or. to assist in raising and lowering it. l-icretoiore, casing clamps have been'made of two parts, each i'ormed of boiler plate or similar strong sheet metal bent to provide a semicircular trough intermediateits length and with plane ends.

such clamps were placed around the cas ng and the plane ends were bolted together. The

casing coupling rested upon the upper edge of each of the plates, and it was found, that with a heavy weight or. casing torexample with many hundred feet of casing in an Oll wellthe weight upon the clamp would cause it to buckle or pinch, the trough-like central por-' tion tending to move into the well while the plane ends bent upwardsothattheupper edges of the trough adjacent the plane ends werepinched in beneath the coupling, resulting in a crushing of the casing at this po nt, and the establishing of a leak or leaksbetween the casing and its connection; sometimes the coupling connection was forced off from the casing, and, the latter would drop into the well, thus not only losing the length of easing, but ruining'the well.

According to the presentiinvention, a casing clamp is provided which may employed either for holding a casing at a predetermined height in the well, or for even raising the easdotted lines therein;

Fig. 2 is a plan view 'ofthe casing clamp assembled Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one section.

of the clamp. I a p v As shown in these drawings, the assembled casing clamp is composed of two parts "A, B,

which may be identical inshape, which are together as shown in Fi assembled together by v means of connecting bolts or other connecting means;

Each of these sections has an abutment wall formed in two parts 10, 10, which are spaced apart by a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of the casing with which the clamp is tobeemployed. These-two sections of the abutment walls ,are'connected by a semi-circular wall 11 providinga semi-circular trough to receive its half of the casing. A web '12 is shown parallel to the abutment wall in the illustration. Thesever-al walls 1 10, 11, 12 are connected together bya floor 13 which in the illustratedform isshown as I Y formingfthe bottom surface of the, clamp so that it may rest directly upon beams or other members about the mouth of the. well.

The ends of the abutment wall 10are cut away to form a bevelled surface lt at an acute angle to the floor 13: and the ends of the web 12 are similarly cut away each by an inclined surface 15. It will be noted that the surface 14 extends above the surface 15 in Z the side elevation of Fig. l, to aiford an easy and ready access to the connecting bolts 16 which hold the two clamp members together adjacent the upper surface. The abutment wall 10 is'provided with suitable holes for the bolts, and also for the further bolts 18 located near: the floor 13. These latteribolts .18 are preferably made stronger than the bolts 16,

and pass through bothr'the abutment walls 10 and the stiffening or web walls 12'. The-nuts 17 are employedto holdthese bolts-18 iii position and trrassist in clamping themembers together adjacent thefloors13. 1 a

In order to employ the deviceiorgripping' a casing, the twosections A and Bare placed the upper end of thepartieular section oi casm bo lted together by the bolts 16 and 18, andthe. casing lowered until its coupling rests firmly on the upper edge of the semi-circular walls ofthe respective members, which have now I a-roundthe jcasmg and beneaththe coupling connection at The two members A and B are'then formed a circularhole slightly larger than p the diameter of the-casing; The floor 13 may rest upon beams around the mouth of thewell to support the length of casing in the ground. If it be desired to use the clamp for rais-, ing and lowering casing links, links 20 are .placed in position'betweenthe abutment walls 10 and the webs 12 during thein;

scrtion of the bolts'18, and-may be connected at their upper ends with any suitable raising and lowering appliance. The bolts 18, being of large diameter and be ing supported both adjacent their ends and intermediate their ends, are not subject to bending underthe upward stress of the links i 20 and it willbe noted that the spaced relationship of the walls 10 and 12 facilitates a gripplng of the caslng without crushing: and further that by the particular arrange ment of the respective bolts 16 and 18, the

links 20 'are 'free to move without interfer ence by the bolt 16 on the one hand, and on the other hand the bolt 16 may be easily placed and removed without interference by the location of the bolt- 18 and of the webs .12.

His obvious that the invention is not limited solely to the form of execution shown as an illustration z-but that it may be otherwise niployed within the scope o'tthe ap pended claims.

' f What is claimed as new is: I I

1. In a casing clamp, a pair of clamping members and lnean'sto hold said membersclamped about a casing; each of said members having an abutment wall. for engagement with the other member and a casing ment withgthe other members and a casing receiving trough formed in'said abutment wall, each Of'SEl-l'il members also havlng a fioorat a right angle to said abutment wall,

and a stiffening web parallel to said abutment Iwall, said wall, floor and web be ng rigidly connected together. v .3."In a casing clamp, a pair oi clampmg members havlng anabutinent wall. 1n two sections in the same plane spaced apart, a semi-.circularwall joining said abutment wall sections and providing a semi-circular cas-j ing with said semi-circular wall.

ing receiving trough, each of said members.

also having a floor right angle to said abutment wall and a stiflening web parallel to said abutmentwall and substantially tang gential to the semi-circular wall, said abutment wall and semi-circular wall, said floor and said web being connected rigidlytogether.

4:. In a casing clamp, apair of clamping members and means to hold said. members clamped about a casing; each of said members having; an abutment wall for. engagement with the other. member and a casing receiving trough formed in said abutment wall, each of said members also having'afloor at a right angle to said abutment wall, and a stilfeni web connected to the wall of said. trough and extending away therefrom and from said floor in the same direction as said abutment iwall,thevends of said wall and web being inclined at an acutean gle with respect to said floor to afford free access to the casing as it projects from said clamp.

5. In a casing clamp, an integrally formed clamping. member having an abutmeiit wall in two sections in the same plane and spaced apart, a semi-circularwall joining" said abutment wall sections and providing a casing receiving'trough, afieor at a 1-1;; angle to said abutment wall, and a ihenmgweb parallel to said abutment wall and 6. Ina casing clamp, a pair otelamping;

members and means to hold'said members clampedabout a casing, each of said-members having an abutment wall for engagement with the other member and a casing receiving; trough termed in said abutment" wall, each of said members also having a *loor at a right angle to said abutment wall and, a stiffening web joined to said floorand spaced from saidfalmtment wall, bolts pass.- in through said. webs and wall, and li tting; links engaging said bolts intermediate said webs and walls. l I 7 l i In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature;

7 "CHARLES a. BUTLER. 

